Jolt to Trump's naval coalition push: UK, Japan, Australia say they have no plans to send ships to Hormuz

US President Donald Trump’s plan for a massive naval show of force just hit a bit of a sandbar. While the administration was hoping to build a coalition to police the Strait of Hormuz, the UK, Japan, and Australia have decided to keep their anchors down. For a coalition push meant to project strength, the current outlook is looking a little... adrift.

The closure of Hormuz by Iran, in response to the airstrikes by the US and Israel, has sent global energy markets on a roller coaster, leading to rising oil prices and massive supply disruption. 

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump said that his administration has contacted 7 countries for support. In a social media post, he claimed that he hoped China, France, Japan, South Korea, Britain and other countries would participate in policing the Hormuz. 

“I’m demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory because it is their territory,” he said. He added, "It's the place from which they get their energy." 

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told President Trump that the UK is not prepared to commit the Royal Navy destroyers to Hormuz. Even as the US has been "bombing the hell out of the shoreline," the UK is offering "mine-hunting drones". 

UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband told the BBC, "It is very important that we get the Strait of Hormuz reopened." 

He added, "There are different ways that we could contribute, including with mine-hunting drones... but we must ensure we don't escalate the crisis." 

Not just the UK, but also Australia and Japan rejected Trump's pitch for a naval coalition to police Hormuz. 

While speaking to ABC Radio, Australian Transport Minister Catherine King said that Australia is not interested in deploying its naval fleet in the blocked waterway. 

"I'm informed that we're not intending to send ships to the Strait of Hormuz," she said. "We're well-prepared here to weather the economic crisis... but we're not planning to send a ship." 

Japan, which relies on the Strait of Hormuz for around 70 per cent of its oil imports, turned down the request. A top policy official for the ruling LDP told NHK that the threshold for sending the Self-Defence Forces into an active war zone remains "extremely high".